Capitulate
by KnittedHat
Summary: Everyone moved on, except Sarah.  After her only love left her, she became bitter and resentful towards everyone except her one friend, colleague, and confidant.  How is she going to feel when a young boy plays as an eerie reminder?  Rated M just in case!
1. Chapter 1

There is this sickening fact that haunts me everyday. 'You cannot change the past'. I suppose that is true, you cannot, not even in the wizarding world. The incredulously foolish actions of my Juvenile years lead to this future I now force myself to live through. You would believe after 19 years things would pass, but, I suppose not.

If I had not stopped loving him, this all might be okay. I would not have ended up being a first-class social reject destined to do nothing amazing throughout my life. Possibly I would not have ended right back at the place I wanted to escape so badly. Now teaching the kids of my classmates. Classmates that were Aurors or Ministry workers. Classmates that were in control of my safety and well being. Damn.

Although, I might not have lucked out. I still have Neville, my best friend, therapist, judge and jury, executioner, and, well, co-worker. I was not really expecting him to become those things. I was expecting him to die in battle running away from Death eater. I've never been right though. Here he comes during the great battle brave, confident, so much unlike the Neville that I had known before, who cried after all confrontations with Snape he ever had.

And there they go, leaving Hogwarts in shambles. Dumbledore was dead, Snape was in control, and Voldemort very alive and lusting for blood, Mudblood. All Hogwarts had to protect them was Neville and myself, putting our lives on the line daily for the words we spat at the filthy Death eaters in charge. Or, well, at least people believed we were there to protect them, one-half of us had improper motives for such harsh incidents.

A school terrorized by evil and destruction, protected only by two Gryffindors. One honest and caring, one vengeful and defiant. How should the lives of the few reaming students sustain? We were all surely doomed. But, they returned eventually and he defeated the Dark Lord. Him and I fighting 'till the end; not a word shared among us. It was better that way.

Then it was all over. Everyone could move on. The remaining students alive went on to grow up, get jobs, sustain these relationships long enough to find love and marry, have kids, and be so happy it's sickening. Ginny had always liked him, you know. When he left Seventh Year she was distraught. Yelling, screaming, thrown into violent fits of rage. I heard they got married almost immediately after Seventh Year. Not that I care, though.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat at the Professor's Table at the end of the long dinning hall. To my right sat Neville. The beginning of the year feast was truly my least favourite day of the schooling year. The long list of first year's was grasped in the hands on the Transfiguration professor that had taken McGonagall's place as she ventured to take her position of Headmistress. He led the group of terrified First Years to the front of the hall, before the Sorting Hat. Explaining to them what was to happen to them within the next few minutes, he called the first few names. A short girl with wheat-coloured hair was sorted to Hufflepuff with a tall lanky boy with shaggy brown hair stumbled along beind her. A pair of Raven-topped twins wandered towards Gryffindor with another shorter boy in tow.

"Eli Cohen".

I perked up a bit hearing my brother's name called. He nervously bounded up the platform to the stool. Barely a minute after the Sorting Hat fell atop his head, it bellowed 'Gryffindor'. The table burst into its normal cheers then quieted down for the next one, a small, dark-skinned girl with plated hair and golden rings in her ears. The list continued 'till I was sure we had enough First Years to re-enact the Revolutionary War. When I heard a name I was not at all expecting.

From the lips of the Transfiguration professor came the most blasphemous words to be uttered within my presence:

"James Potter". He had kids with her? What? I should have expected this to happen, but, I guess a part of me did not want it to.

"Are you alright?" Neville piped from beside me. Neville got the good life. He was happily married to Hannah Abbott, Herbology professor, had a happy family and everyone loved him. It was safe to say that I was immensely envious at how his life had gone. I snapped my head in his direction and swallowed hard.

"I'm fine." Was my simple reply as I turned back to watch the sorting of the seed of the man I hated so deeply.

The pre-teenage boy bounced up the stairs, a look on his face questioning why he even needed to be sorted. He was rather decent sized, a tad taller than most Second Years even were, he had inherited his mother's straight hair, but clearly inherited his father's natural messy look, brown hair, and eyesight. He sat on the stool, and the hat was placed on his head. Unlike planned, there was not sudden call of house placement as usual with these children, it took an awful long two minutes before the Sorting Hat called out to the silent crowd "Gryffindor!"

After quite a few more sortings, the feast, and the closing speech. The children were released to their common rooms for leisure time then lights out. I made my rounds through the castle looking for any lost First Years or Seventh Year couples out for a mid-night 'meeting.' On seeing no one, I retired to the comforts provided from my bed chambers. I replied to a few Owls sent to me, one from Eli telling me how excited he had been to be sorted into my old house. Soon after I retired to the cushions of my bed to read over a book I had borrowed for reference from the Library and soon it was lights out for me.

The next morning I sat at the Professors table once more for breakfast, watching intently as the students ventured in. Sometimes they were in groups, sometimes alone. James walked in, a frizzy red-haired girl walked beside. I scanned my mind to see if I remembered her from the sorting the night before, although after the shock of Potter, I was not fully attentive to the sorting. Neville, probably following my gaze and noticing my confused face leaned over to me and whispered: "Her name is Rose Weasley." I looked over at him, and nodded my head in her direction.

"Whose her parents?"

He gave me a look, possibly of sympathy before replying to me.

"Hermione and Ron."

"Oh." I shrugged and turned back to the front. I was not really suprised that I had not received word of her birth or what not.


	3. Chapter 3

My desk was cluttered with various rolls of parchment from years back, quills, ink wells and samples. I sat behind the mess, my elbow propped up on the large table, my head resting in my hand. I was waiting for the arrival of the Gryffindorr and Slytherin First Years. This class was always the greatest. Not a single child was prepared for what this class might be like. Only a few having a clue; having heard from their older siblings.

Looking at the large sun-dial I kept on my desk, I noticed it was the time that my First Years should have wandered in here. Getting up from my chair, I decided it was best to find them. Walking the short distance to the classroom doors, I heard the distinct sound of rugged breathing. With the flick of my wand, the doors opened and on the other side of the door stood the huddled mass of my First Year class. They looked up at me with large, scared eyes. I gave them a once over before swiftly turning and walking back to the front of the classroom, hoping they would under stand the message to walk in.

The seats slowly filled themselves with the small bodies of the students. I motioned for the door to shut and it closed with a thud.

"Good morning, students. Welcome to your first Potions class, feel proud of the fact you made it this far. What I'm about to tell you is almost exactly what my Potions professor told me my first class." I bellowed.

"Potions is a delicate art. I doubt that any of you will actually achieve something great from this class, due to the fact all of you will share no interest in this class. If you are lucky, however, I may just be your Potions instructor for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts." I smiled at them. I can tell it wasn't reassuring.

"Let it be understood that I do not care for what you think about me. I have been at this post for almost 17 years and I do not plan on leaving it, do you understand?" The room was quiet.

"I said, do you understand?" The class all replied with monotone "Yes" and "Yes, ma'am"s.

"Wonderful. Roll call?"

"Bones."

"Cauldwell."

"Cohen."

"Coote."

"Davis."

"Derick."

"Harper."

"Higgs."

"Hopkins." The children hadn't the time to respond with a testimony of their presence before I had moved on to the next one. This continued for some time.

"Illard."

"Johnson."

"James."

"Kent."

"Kart."

"Laam."

"Leary."

"Liark."

"Lowell."

"Malfoy." I searched for the boy. He sat on the left side of the room, accompanied by the rest of the Slytherins. I steeped a tad bit forward.

"Scorpius, yes? Draco's son?" The boy gave a small smirk and nodded. Carrying on with the list, I drawled out several more names till I was close to the bottom of the parchment. Along the way stumbling upon the name of McLaggen and calming a break down because of such.

"Potter." I called. I searched for him, he sat in the back. His head was laid on his Potions textbook; he was clearly asleep. I walked closer to him. Beside him, the Weasley girl was pleading with him to wake up. I motioned her quiet. I rolled the parchment in my hand back to the scroll like oddities that were on either end. I then slammed the roll on the back of his head.

James quickly jumped up. He rubbed the back of his head before looking at me nervously.

"I am sorry that you deem Potions unworthy of your time, Mr. Potter. Perhaps a detention with me this Saturday will help you understand the importance of it." I then turned back around, walking to my desk. Completely forgetting about the rest of Roll call.

"Your instructions are on the board, let's see how well you can follow directions your first day, hm?" I suggested to the class as I took my seat.


End file.
